Chapter 1146: Beware of the Arms
As they gazed once more toward the Los Clothing Store, its doors stood wide open, as if inviting passersby inside. Despite the afternoon sun, the store's interior remained shrouded in an impenetrable darkness. Lin Sanjiu wasn't sure if the old smoker had calmed down or simply hadn't noticed her, now two streets away. She had managed to leave Bonnie Bunny's neighborhood with minimal commotion, yet she felt the old smoker's gaze clinging to her back like glue.
Reflecting on the events, Lin Sanjiu's thoughts shifted to a more optimistic perspective. While the old smoker's attack with the sweater and necklace seemed hostile, it proved more bothersome than perilous. It was more of an annoyance than a danger. This realization led her to speculate: if the old smoker, despite his seemingly malicious intentions, could survive under Bonnie Bunny's watch, perhaps Bonnie Bunny wasn't as formidable as Puppeteer? After all, rumors aren't always reliable. If the old smoker could endure, there was hope for Hei Zeji too.
With these thoughts, Lin Sanjiu cast a sidelong glance at Ya Jiang, who was following her closely, matching her stride for stride. Despite her confidence that there were no immediate dangers, Ya Jiang appeared overly cautious, gripping the mop as if it were a protective staff, reminiscent of a monk armed for unforeseen threats.
Clearly, Ya Jiang wasn't enthusiastic about accompanying her. The game's information was vast and intricate, making it challenging to divulge everything at once. Therefore, even after Ya Jiang's explanations, Lin Sanjiu insisted they stick together to leverage his experience. In return, she agreed to be his "goose" – to explore the areas Ya Jiang hadn't ventured into. If they failed to find Hei Zeji, their next stop would be the hospital.
"This kind of ground was originally safe," Ya Jiang said, craning his neck to look beyond Lin Sanjiu's shoulders. "I registered by stepping on this paved ground, so it was deemed secure. But now, you have to watch out for the weeds."
"If you stepped on the ground when you registered, then it won't turn into lava?" Lin Sanjiu asked, pausing at the edge of the weeds.
They were standing on a sidewalk along a major commercial street. In the distance, a small circular square, once a hub of vibrant nightlife, now lay gloomy and silent under the daylight. The decorative plants and flowers, thriving in neglect, snaked through the brick cracks with vigorous growth. Green vines, vein-like, enveloped the entire square with wild vegetation.
"It's wishful thinking," Ya Jiang scoffed. "The logic behind the lava points is obscure... but invariably treacherous. You see, even cement surfaces can turn into lava. One moment you're crossing the road, and the next, you could be in a hospital bed, missing limbs."
Lin Sanjiu felt a chill imagining such a fate.
"You haven't been to the hospital yet?" she muttered, carefully stepping onto a light-red square brick.
As they walked, they discussed the safe zones they had encountered so far. Generally, most man-made structures like rectangular rooms and doors seemed lava-free. However, this round was the first time they had come across plants.
"Wait, there's a bookstore over there," Ya Jiang whispered. "Places with words often have player messages. We still don't know how many people are in this area. Let's check it out."
Wearing her metal gauntlets, Lin Sanjiu approached and shattered the locked glass door with a few punches. Amid the crisp, crackling sounds, she looked at the brown carpet now littered with glass shards. Stepping inside, she said, "I still don't quite get the logic behind the lava points in this Lava world."
When Ya Jiang didn't respond, she continued, "The first lava I saw was in a circular object. I thought it symbolized a volcanic crater, but I've realized it's not that. Lava can appear anywhere it fits. What I mean is..."
She walked over to a circular platform used for displaying new books and picked one up, flipping through its pages. "Could lava even be sandwiched between the pages of a book?"
"You're right," Ya Jiang replied from outside the bookstore, shrugging. "Even stranger places are possible. This game can think of anything. However, such oddities are rare. Think about it, if lava could hide between book pages, few posthumans would last a year."
In other words, one couldn't ever be fully prepared.
Lin Sanjiu placed the book back and followed Ya Jiang's lead, carefully navigating around the escalator handrail. She reached into the gaps between the bookshelves, feeling around a hanging light tube. Seeing that Ya Jiang was still safe, she entered the bookstore, searching for player messages.
"Strange," he muttered while searching. Without turning, Ya Jiang added, "We've been away from the registration point for about twenty to thirty minutes, covering quite some distance. It's odd that everywhere seems so safe."
"Why do you sound like that's a bad thing?" Lin Sanjiu asked.
"From a certain perspective, it's not," he answered, securing the mop to his back and discarding unsuitable items on the ground, including some maps that Lin Sanjiu hadn't noticed before. She picked one up, contemplating.
"If you think about it, the more things we come across, the harder it is to remember all of them. Plus, people tend to lower their guard, and lava is best at catching you off-guard—Oh, here it is!"
In a bookstore filled with biographies, collections, and novels, not a single book carried a player message. Instead, it was on the employee attendance sign-in sheet.
"Within the nearby 30 blocks, there are five registered players and two illegal immigrants." In addition to this sentence, there was also a rough range of streets listed as a reference—likely due to the larger area involved this time.
They quickly marked the corresponding 30 blocks on the map. When they opened the first page, they found player messages squeezed next to the employees' signatures.
"Player 1, Ya Jiang. Male, survived the first 3 rounds, currently on the 4th round, survival rate above average."
"Player 2, Lin Sanjiu. Female, novice player, currently on her 1st round, survival rate extremely high."
"You haven't been swallowed by lava, so why did your survival rate drop?" Lin Sanjiu asked, comparing their survival probabilities.
Ya Jiang snorted. "I got attacked. When players fight, severe injuries can decrease your survival rate."
Could Hei Zeji have been attacked by someone?
"Player 3, Hei Zeji. Male, survived his first round, currently on his 2nd round, survival rate extremely low."
"He's still alive!" Lin Sanjiu exclaimed, feeling a surge of relief upon seeing this. She pointed at the line of small text and said, "Luckily, he hasn't died!"
"Don't be too happy," Ya Jiang cautioned, his expression flat as he glanced at the line. "Even if Bonnie Bunny didn't target him, it suggests one thing. This person still doesn't know where to find player messages."
Lin Sanjiu paused, momentarily puzzled, then she understood. If Hei Zeji had seen her name, he would have sought her out. Instead, he had fled in the opposite direction. Despite surviving one round, he seemed surprisingly clueless.
She sighed inwardly and continued reading.
"Player 4, Yuan Xiangxi. Male, survived the first 71 rounds, currently on the 72nd round, survival rate unknown."
This was the Watermelon Tarou from the registration book. Lin Sanjiu had just flipped to the next page, but suddenly she turned back.
"Survived the first 71 rounds?" Ya Jiang almost pressed his face against the paper in disbelief. "Is it really 71? Not 11? And why is the survival rate unknown?"
These messages were indeed startling, but what truly puzzled Lin Sanjiu wasn't this detail.
Why was someone who had participated in 71 rounds of lava still attempting to register a false name until now? Shouldn't they have realized long ago that a false name couldn't be registered?
No matter how she pondered, she couldn't find a fitting explanation. If the intention was deception, others would soon notice the discrepancy upon seeing the player message. Yet, using a fake name as a mere ruse seemed unlikely. Concerned about wasting time and missing the last player message, she set aside her thoughts and briskly turned to the second page.
"Player 5, Bonnie Bunny. Female, survived the first 13 rounds, currently on her 14th round, survival rate extremely high."
"Why was I unaware that everyone was migrating together?"
Tapping the paper, Ya Jiang murmured, "That Hei guy might have gotten here before us... And what about Bonnie Bunny? Has she been tracking us all this time?"
"Look." Lin Sanjiu pointed to Bonnie Bunny's message, drawing Ya Jiang's attention. "Her survival rate was high before, but now it's extremely high."
Ya Jiang paused thoughtfully. "She must have dealt with an illegal immigrant. Players gradually recover their survival rate in the game, but it's not usual for it to leap from high to extremely high so suddenly."
"Additionally, she could be following either us or Hei Zeji," Lin Sanjiu added in a low voice.
She had entered her hypersensory state multiple times earlier to scan the area and was confident they were alone. It was likely Bonnie Bunny was taking a different route into this commercial district, possibly tracking Hei Zeji. Was she waiting for the right moment to strike, considering he was a challenging target?
"Bonnie Bunny knowing how to dispose of an illegal immigrant implies she's familiar with the lava locations," Ya Jiang said dryly, his voice tinged with concern. "And now, she's in the same vicinity as us—"
He was cut off mid-sentence as Lin Sanjiu suddenly bolted from the bookstore, calling out, "Hei Zeji!"
"What are you doing?" Ya Jiang exclaimed, his voice hushed yet urgent. "Do you want Bonnie Bunny to find us?"
"I'm going to draw her attention and lead her away. You'll be safe," Lin Sanjiu replied quickly, her plan clear in her mind.
Ya Jiang, still skeptical, clutched the mop tightly and retreated further into the quieter, deeper parts of the store. He moved cautiously, vigilant not to step on anything unfamiliar. As he rounded a corner, a hand suddenly reached out from behind the wall, clamping over his face and pulling him into the shadows.
Outside, Lin Sanjiu stood rooted in shock, her mind racing. Before she could gather her thoughts, the bookstore was enveloped in an eerie silence once more.